Composite materials are potentially well suited materials for the manufacture of prosthetic devices. In International Publication WO 85/04323, for example, composite materials were used to make orthopedic devices such as hip stems. The composite material comprised 30-70% of a biocompatible polymer matrix, such as polysulfone, reinforced with 70-30% continuous filament carbon fibers in the form of uniplanar sheets. In one version, the devices were made by stacking flat coupons to form blocks from which the devices were machined. In another version, patterned sheets were rolled upon themselves to form cylinders from which the device was fashioned.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a prosthetic device with an optimal fiber orientation which improves the load-bearing capability of the resulting prosthesis which, in use, is typically subject to complex cyclic loads.